Gov. Jerry Brown, left, talks with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom at the UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. Brown is set to make his first appearance where he's expected to urge UC officials to control costs and avoid raising tuition. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

UC graduate students had been facing the prospect of supplemental tuition increases next year in more than 50 graduate and professional degree programs. Those increases ranged from 1.5 to 35 percent. CSU had been contemplating stiff fee increases for students who repeat classes or take classes after they are eligible for graduation. Brown noted that the increases would be a minor inconvenience for wealthier families, but a real hit on those with "more modest incomes."

"Taxpayers got out of their comfort zone" in approving the Proposition 30 tax increases, the governor reminded the trustees. Beyond that, a concern about rising tuition - and the budget stress on public education generally - was a huge part of the Prop. 30 sales pitch. Many voters would have felt betrayed if its passage was followed by a jump in college tuition and fees.

And the pressure for higher tuition is not going away.

Brown also was right to push the public university systems to come up with innovative ways - including an expansion of online education - to maintain quality while containing costs. Both he and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom have warned that that the $417 million increase in the 2013-14 budget given initial approval by the UC regents was likely to result in tuition increases. CSU trustees approved a 2013-14 budget that included a request for $372 million increase in state funds.

California needs to reinvest in higher education, but it needs to do so judiciously. While Prop. 30, combined with an improving economy, have offered a short-term budget lifeline - next year's projected shortfall has been whittled to just $1.9 billion - its dependence on upper-income revenue will only add to the volatility of state revenues. Brown and state legislators need to get to work on tax reform.

This state must return to its master plan of providing affordable, high-quality college education. It can only do so with a stable funding structure that does not depend on a succession of tuition hikes that undermine the mission of creating a system of excellence and affordability.